手舞足蹈
Chinese
hand; convenient; ‑er | to dance; to wield; to brandish | foot; to be sufficient | tread on; trample; stamp tread on; trample; stamp; fulfil | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (手舞足蹈) | 手 | 舞 | 足 | 蹈 | |
simp. #(手舞足蹈) | 手 | 舞 | 足 | 蹈 | |
Literally: “hands dance and feet trip”. |
Etymology
From the Classic of Poetry, great preface (《詩經·大序》):
- 詩者,志之所之也,在心為志,發言為詩,情動於中,而形於言,言之不足,故嗟歎之,嗟歎之不足,故永歌之,永歌之不足,不知手之舞之、足之蹈之也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Shī zhě, zhì zhī suǒ zhī yě, zài xīn wéi zhì, fā yán wéi shī, qíng dòng yú zhōng, ér xíng yú yán, yán zhī bùzú, gù jiētàn zhī, jiētàn zhī bùzú, gù yǒng gē zhī, yǒng gē zhī bùzú, bùzhī shǒu zhī wǔ zhī, zú zhī dǎo zhī yě. [Pinyin]
- Poetry is the product of earnest thought. Thought [cherished] in the mind becomes earnest; exhibited in words, it becomes poetry. The feelings move inwardly, and are embodied in words. When words are insufficient for them, recourse is had to sighs and exclamations. When sighs and exclamations are insufficient for them, recourse is had to the prolonged utterances of song. When those prolonged utterances of song are insufficient for them, unconsciously the hands begin to move and the feet to dance.
诗者,志之所之也,在心为志,发言为诗,情动于中,而形于言,言之不足,故嗟叹之,嗟叹之不足,故永歌之,永歌之不足,不知手之舞之、足之蹈之也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
手舞足蹈
- dancing and gesticulating for joy
- (traditional Chinese medicine) involuntary movements of the limbs; convulsions, hemiballismus, chorea, athetosis or myoclonus
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